New 3D model marketplace 3Denovo – which allows you to purchase and 3D print directly from the internet, without downloading STL files -just posted this awesome Baymax nightlight. Based on the character from the Disney animated film Big Hero 6, this Baymax print incorporates a light bulb into the actual design of the lamp.
In Big Hero Six, Baymax is the cuddly, white personal healthcare robot invented by the older brother of the film’s main character, Hiro. When a masked villain kills his brother, Hiro and his friends create high tech suits of armor – including a big red suit for Baymax – to fight the bad guy and become the titular team of heroes.
Because Baymax is supposed to be a companion to his patents, many of them children, he was created to be soft and huggable. As an air-filled, snowman-looking robot with a kind voice that people can relate to, the film’s directors, Don Hall and Chris Williams, said that Baymax was inspired by researchers at Carnegie Mellon who were developing soft robots made of inflatable vinyl.
3Denovo tells me that the Baymax light was printed in white ABS filament on an Up! Plus2 3D printer. There is a hinge build into the body that allows it to easily swing open so the bulb can quickly be inserted or changed. Once the model was printed, it was simply spray painted red and the black details were painted on. The nightlight makes a clever use of the light bulb by using it as a stand-in for the cuddly robot’s plump belly, which sticks out of his red battle armor.
The new 3d model marketplace 3Denovo stands apart from many marketplaces by not actually releasing STL files to you when you purchase a model. Instead, it uses an app that you download onto your computer and connects directly to your 3D printer. However, it does allow you to manipulate the models and even include more than one piece in the print job to maximize time and use the entire build envelope of your printer.
One of the reasons that the owners of intellectual property give for not getting behind 3D printing is the lack of control over their 3D files. On other websites users can download a model and print it as often as they want, theoretically. They can even move the STL file to other computers and place it on torrent sites. But the way that 3Denovo works means that IP owners can feel secure in the fact that their STL file will never actually be outside of 3Denovo’s control. While that isn’t a perfect solution to the problem, it may give companies more willingness to allow designers to create unique 3D printable designs for their characters.
You can watch a brief introduction video to 3Denovo here:
You can download the app and find out more about 3Denovo on their website and see more fantastic 3D printing projects on their Facebook page. And because it’s a really fun movie you can watch the adorable trailer for Big Hero Six here:
